In a shocking move, ESPN and Major League Baseball have announced the end of their decades-long television partnership, triggered by an opt-out of their current contract. This development is only the beginning.
Following the opt-out, numerous quotes, articles, and reports have emerged regarding the future of MLB on television and who might take interest in portions of the current ESPN deal. Even ESPN itself is part of these discussions.
While it is not certain that ESPN is exiting the baseball business, it does appear to be an uphill battle given MLB commissioner Rob Manfred’s comments about the disrespect he believes the sport has received from the network. Multiple networks, including Fox, NBC, Amazon, and Netflix, have also shown interest in acquiring some or all of the ESPN package.
However, ESPN remains hopeful. Mollie Cahillane reports in Sports Business Journal that the network is not viewing the current season as a lame-duck year, and there is “some optimism” about reaching a new agreement.
“No one is packing it in,” said a source familiar with ESPN’s internal operations. “No one’s treating this like a lame duck year at all. It’s all business as usual.”
These sentiments echo what longtime ESPN MLB voice Karl Ravech mentioned last week.
While ESPN is moving forward, MLB is actively searching for a new media partner to cover broadcasts that ESPN would have aired in 2026, 2027, and 2028—30 regular-season games, the Wild Card round, and the Home Run Derby. Despite this, ESPN maintains that “there’s some optimism [around a new deal],” according to the source.
Ultimately, any deal between ESPN and Major League Baseball will hinge on financial negotiations. Cahillane notes that MLB insists ESPN must increase its monetary offer to resume discussions, especially considering reports that ESPN sought to reduce its contract payments by $300 million per year. As such, the network’s optimism about MLB accepting such a proposal might be overly ambitious.
Pride also plays a significant role, potentially complicating negotiations. Similar to how David Zaslav’s comments alienated Adam Silver, the hurt feelings from MLB may present insurmountable barriers to reconciliation. For Manfred and MLB to return to ESPN at a significantly lower rate would imply that Bristol’s assessment of their product’s declining value is accurate.
It would indeed be beneficial for MLB to maintain a partnership with ESPN, as history shows that when ESPN cuts ties with a sport, it can lead to the sport’s disappearance from their network. Nevertheless, this option may come with a cost that baseball could be unwilling to bear.
